As he awaits judgment for his 211-game suspension, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has sued Major League Baseball, accusing the league of conducting a “witch hunt” and engaging in “tortious interference” in his contracts and business relationships.

The suit also alleges MLB paid for the cooperation and testimony of Anthony Bosch, the head of Biogenesis, the clinic from which this scandal emerged, and paid Bosch $5 million for his participation. It also accuses MLB of paying $150,000 for “stolen documents,” with the cash “handed off in a bag in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida area restaurant.”

The New York Times first reported Rodriguez’s suit, filed on Thursday in the State Supreme Court of Manhattan. The suit names three plaintiffs: Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and commissioner Bud Selig. No Yankees officials are named in the suit.

Rodriguez outlined his thought process behind the suit in a statement released through his publicist.

"The entire legal dynamic is very complex, and my legal team is doing what they need to in order to vindicate me and pursue all of my rights,” he said. “This matter is entirely separate from the ongoing arbitration. I look forward to the arbitration proceedings continuing, and for the day to come when I can share my story with the public and my supporters.”

On Friday afternoon, Major League Baseball issued a firm denial of the charges and rebuked Rodriguez in the process.

"This lawsuit is a clear violation of confidentiality provisions of our drug program, and it is nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement," the MLB statement read.

"While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: Whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years, and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation."

In the suit, Rodriguez accuses MLB and Selig of engaging in “tortious and egregious conduct with one, and only one, goal: to improperly marshal evidence that they hope to use to destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez,” the suit reads. Rodriguez seeks compensatory and punitive damages as MLB has “interfered with his ability to monetize both his lucrative agreement with the New York Yankees, and potential endorsement deals.”

2. Violating the confidentiality of those agreements, including Selig’s appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman to discuss the case before suspensions were levied.

“They have continuously leaked stories to the media concerning every step of the investigation and discipline of Mr. Rodriguez, turning what is supposed to be a confidential disciplinary and appeal process into a public trial of Mr. Rodriguez,” the suit reads.

3. Inducing cooperation of witnesses through cash payments and promises of jobs.

A former Biogenesis employee named Porter Fischer told the Miami New Times in June that MLB offered him a $1,000 weekly salary as a consultant; he also said he was once offered $125,000 for all his records related to the clinic.

The lawsuit cites several other examples, including the case of Peter Carbone, a tanning salon operator.

“Carbone was offered $200,000 to cooperate with MLB's investigation,” the suit alleges. “When Carbone refused the offer, they harassed and persecuted him, including by impersonating police officers and forcing his car to the side of the road while he was driving, creating a highly dangerous situation.”

4. Bullying and intimidating “those individuals who refused to cooperate with their witch hunt.”

One of these tactics, the suit alleges, is a “sham lawsuit” filed against Bosch that accused Bosch of interfering with MLB’s inquiries into the Biogenesis case. The lawsuit was considered a tool utilized for procuring documents in discovery from Biogenesis employees, not for an actual legal inquiry. MLB has since dropped the lawsuit, after Bosch agreed to testify.

Rodriguez’s suit also alleges that MLB sought documents related to Rodriguez from his former attorneys at Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf, as well as a former public relations firm. Neither the law firm nor the PR firm were involved with Rodriguez during the time period being investigated in the Biogenesis matter, the suit alleges.

5. Targeting Rodriguez with an unprecedented penalty.

Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game suspension for his role in the scandal. The other 12 players all took 50-game penalties. Rodriguez is the lone player to appeal. His case is expected to be decided by the winter.